Last year, I was part of a BBC team that joined Dr Mueller and Dr Copland as they carried out the first research on Ayles Ice Island, an iceberg the size of Manhattan.

It has since split into two, each vast chunk of ice now 400 miles (640km) south of its original position.

The rapid changes in the Arctic have reignited disputes over territory.

The Canadian military's expedition was billed as a "sovereignty patrol", the lines of snowmobiles flying Canadian flags in a display of control.

After the record Arctic melting last year, all eyes are now on what happens to the sea ice this summer.

Although its maximum extent last winter was slightly greater than the year before, it was still below the long-term average.

It really is worth reading this article: even the scientists have been blown away by what they discovered.

Skeptics have held the roost for too long and made governments over-cautious when it comes to implementing meaningful countermeasures. The evidence is now undeniable and the pace at which it is emerging is breath-taking.

Antarctica has been undergoing all kinds of significant changes for years. However serious talk of a permanent North-West passage across the Arctic Ocean is a relatively recent phenomenon. And now this.

It's all happening a lot quicker than predicted. Even accelerating. So what might happen the day after tomorrow?..